The Jackson Hole Connection

Lisa Smith-Batchen is an ultra runner, Ironman competitor, personal coach, mom, mentor, wife, and sister. Her athletic achievements have been documented in The NY Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated for Women, ESPN Magazine, Outside Magazine, and many more. After the tragic events of 9/11, Lisa and her family decided to leave New Jersey and move to where they have always w...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Dr. Richard Sugden. Dr. Sugden is a veteran, pilot, entrepreneur, physician, paramedic, and teacher to young aviators. Dr. Sugden first called Jackson Hole home back in the 40s when his family owned a dude ranch in Kelly. Dr. Sugden helped establish the first air ambulance service in Jackson Hole back in 1980. He has been in...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Brenda Ashworth. Brenda is a former Astro Geophysical Data Monitor for the U.S. Air Force, she is now the Superintendent of Teton County Integrated Solid Waste & Recycling. Did you know that our trash has to travel over 70 miles to be disposed of? Can you guess how many semi-trucks full of waste are sent out of Teton Cou...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Christy Smirl. Christy is the owner of Foxtail Books and Library Services. Christy and Foxtail curate, manage and organize personal libraries. They also offer assistance with acquiring rare and collectible books. Listen to this episode to gain a glimpse into the unique profession of library management and rare book acqu...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Janis Ferrin Allen and Donna Clark. Janis and Donna share the same great-great-grandfather, Josiah “Si” Ferrin.  Si was one of the original homesteaders in the valley and at one time he was the largest property owner and taxpayer in Jackson Hole. In this episode, Janis and Donna talk about their family lineage and the l...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Johnny Ziem. Johnny has worked for one organization his whole time in Jackson and that is working for the town of Jackson. He started driving the START Bus as a way to ski in the day and work at night. Now he leads one of the most essential departments in the Jackson community, The Public Works Department. Many of us don’t e...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Brian Lenz. Brian was born and raised in Jackson. His father owned a pharmacy and his mother ran a Montessori school for many years. He is now raising his own family in the valley and works as an engineer for the town of Jackson. When he isn’t working to help Jackson’s infrastructure he is helping make people laugh. Brian is...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Emily Cohen. Emily is the Executive Director and Station Manager of Jackson Hole Community Radio, KHOL. She is also developing a new podcast called Under the Covers that will go in-depth on some of our oldest and most popular folk songs. In this episode, Emily shares what brought her out to Jackson. She talks about how...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Phil Cameron. Phil is the Executive Director of Energy Conservation Works (ECW). The goal of ECW is to build partnerships with the Town of Jackson, Teton County, Lower Valley Energy, and other organizations to create and instill programs that improve energy conservation and reduce emissions. Phil made his way out to Wyoming...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan chats with Brenden Cronin. During this interview, Brenden is working in the field hiking up Glory Mountain. Brenden has done numerous types of jobs in the valley, but the winters are all about working in the snow. He has worked on Togwotee Pass as a snowcat skiing guide, an avalanche instructor for the forest service and the American A...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Bob Shervin. Bob is a grandfather, entrepreneur, former mayor of Jackson, former county commissioner, the founder of Shervin’s Independent Oil, and a born and bred Jackson local.  In this episode, Bob shares the history of his family lineage and the story of when he was born back in 1933. He talks about what it was lik...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Laurie Andrews. Laurie helped run the Jackson Hole Land Trust for 15 years and now she is the president of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. She is also an avid climber, ultra runner, and a lover of dogs. In this episode, Laurie shares how her tenure at the Nature Conservancy brought her out to the Valley. She talks...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Jerry Bilek. Jerry is the Sr. Library Assistant at the Teton County Library. In this episode, Jerry shares why he left Minnesota to move out to the mountains. He goes into how he survived owning a bookstore during the recession of 2008. Jerry gives insight into how the library chooses the media and books it loans out and ho...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Danielle Shapiro. Danielle is a writer, editor, journalist, and social justice warrior. In this episode, Danielle shares how she left the city life in Chicago for the Tetons. She talks about why she pivoted from pursuing a career as a human rights attorney to becoming a freelance journalist. Danielle goes into what it was l...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Jay Petervary. Everything Jay does revolves around cycling. He is an ultra-endurance cyclist, ambassador, guide, teacher, speaker, race director, and sponsored athlete. In this episode, Jay shares why he left a lucrative career in the city to move out west. He talks about the moment his life changed when he found his passio...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Babs Case and Erin Roy. Babs is the long-time Artistic Director of Dancers’ Workshop and Erin Roy recently stepped up as the Executive Director. Dancers' Workshop is located in the Center for the Arts and provides diversity in movement experiences through education, performance, and outreach for students and audiences of al...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Melissa Shinkle. Melissa is the Teton County Assessor. The Assessor's Office is responsible for valuing all real and personal property in Teton County.  In this episode, Melissa shares what it was like growing up on a ranch in Torrington, WY. She goes into how a job at a car rental company brought her out to Jackson. M...

In this week’s special episode, Stephan chats with Michael Moeri, the editor and marketing director of The Jackson Hole Connection podcast. In this episode, Stephan and Michael take a look back on the past 3 years of doing the podcast. Michael gets some insight on what doing the podcast means to Stephan and what motivates him to connect with so many people. They discuss some memorable and motivati...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Meagan Murtagh. Meagan is a local influencer, the former owner of The Scout Guide Jackson Hole and a realtor. Many people around the valley know her by her childhood name and now social media handle @meagtheeggIn this episode, Meagan shares how she ended up landing in Jackson Hole from Ohio. She goes into how a simple blog...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Wendy Dodson. Wendy is the new owner of Valley Bookstore. In this episode, Wendy shares how she finally feels connected to the community after becoming a local business owner. She talks about her love of books and how impactful reading a good book is. Wendy also gives some great recommendations on how you can find books to...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Dory Sumner. Dory is the Manager of Programs and Development at Astoria Park Conservancy which are stewards of the Astoria Hot Springs and nearly 100 acres of wildlife habitat and wetlands. In this episode, Dory shares the history of Astoria Hot Springs and how the new hot springs compare to the old facilities that closed i...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with John Simms. John is a father, husband, inventor, entrepreneur, former ski patrolman, avalanche expert, and an artist. In this episode, John talks about how he made his way out to Jackson from New York over 60 years ago. He shares how his father encouraged his inventive and entrepreneurial spirit which led him to start...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Brook Yoemans. Brook is a special education teacher at Colter Elementary. He is also a member of Teton County Search and Rescue. When Brook isn’t helping others, he can often be found on the open road doing long distance bicycling trips with his friends and family. In this episode, Brook shares how going to camp in northern...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with the Co-Owners of Pearl Street Bagels, Heather Gould & Polly Filice. In this episode, Heather and Polly talk about how they made it from opposite sides of the country to work in the same bagel shop in Wilson. They go into how they went from working as an employee to owning the whole business. Polly talks about the bagel-...

In this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Pam Barlow. Pam is a long-time resident, a mom, a wife, a former school bus driver and she is the Owner and Founder of Copperdot Leather Goods. In this episode, Pam shares how she packed up her car 30 years ago and left Detroit in hopes of landing a career-track job in Jackson. She talks about what it was like to be a schoo...